Series cancellation announced in November happening quietly at the end of August

UPDATE: The announcement of the end of Saturday Night at the Movies in November stirred much more sentimentality than the low-key last episode is apparently looking to pursue. A final double bill scheduled for Aug. 31 will consist of European historical dramas from 2006 — The Lives of Others and Black Book.

Watch a clip of Elwy Yost hosting Saturday Night at the Movies in 1980 below:

And here is a four-minute promotional clip about the show’s history from 2011:

… and more from when the cancellation was announced on Nov. 13:

The reason for Ontario’s public broadcaster to pull the plug on Saturday Night at the Movies, a show that debuted in 1974 with host Elwy Yost, seems entirely logical: Paying for the rights to air films at a specific time in the era of Netflix and other on-demand options is no longer justifiable.

Yet there was an inevitable sentimental response to the announced disappearance of the curation service that TVO provided and the accompanying interviews Yost gathered during his 25 years on the show.

“When Saturday Night at the Movies began almost 40 years ago, it broke new ground but now entire TV networks and web services are dedicated to movies,” explained TVO chief executive Lisa de Wilde.

Many lamenting its impending cancellation may indeed be motivated to tune in for the first time in years.

Thom Ernst, who became the full-time face of the series just two years ago, was among those apparently shocked by the decision — but has promised to make the rest of the run memorable.

While other cancellations of long-running Canadian shows predated the adoption of Twitter, reaction tends to follow the same pattern.

Consider the reaction to these other long-running TV traditions:

The NewMusic (1979-2008): Citytv’s pioneering series was a precursor to the MuchMusic channel, although it continued for almost a quarter-century after the latter’s launch. The show was seen as having a more journalistic skew — but was very much an afterthought by the time new Much owner CTV pulled the plug after 29 years.

Front Page Challenge (1957-1995): CBC’s intellectual game show was a product of a time when families gathered at a specific time each week to learn about the world — with a panel trying to figure out the identity of a newsmaker. The cast and format changed little by the time it ran out of steam 38 years later.

The Beachcombers (1972-1990): Bruno Gerussi’s log salvaging adventures brought the images of Vancouver to the rest of the country via CBC although its laid-back approach to storytelling became dated over time in spite of efforts to freshen it up. The run of 387 shows in 18 years was just recently eclipsed by Degrassi.

Definition (1974-1989): CTV stations kept the Hangman-inspired game show running even as host Jim Perry was jetting back and forth to similar gigs in Hollywood — perhaps because most of the budget was dedicated to flying him in. This one wasn’t cancelled after 15 years as much as it was rerun until its $10 prizes started looking too sad.

Hockey Night in Canada (1952- ): Still on the air, technically, although its lack of new episodes during the NHL lockout has foreshadowed the long-dreaded day in which the CBC might no longer be able to afford airing this tradition. CTV declared their goal to take the franchise over someday by buying the rights to the theme song in 2008.